Analyses of the biomedical research workforce, the biomedical research enterprise and its sustainability have identified a number of threats and offered many solutions to alleviate the problems. While, a number of these solutions have been implemented, one solution that has not been broadly adopted, despite being widely recommended, is to increase the number of staff scientists and reduce dependency on trainees. The perceived impediment of this is the cost. This paper explores the costs associated with laboratory personnel and the benefits, in terms of productivity, associated with different positions in the workforce. The results of this cost-benefit analysis depend upon the values assigned to different metrics of productivity by individuals and institutions. If first and senior author publications are the most important metrics of productivity, a trainee dependent workforce is much more cost effective. If total publications is the most valued metric of productivity, the cost effectiveness of trainee and staff scientists is reasonably equitable. This analysis provides data for consideration when making personnel decisions and for the continued discussion of modification of the biomedical research workforce. It also provides insight into the incentives for modification of the workforce at the grass roots, which must be considered by institutions genuinely committed to workforce modification to sustain the biomedical research enterprise.

中文翻译：

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生物医学科学人才队伍的成本和收益

对生物医学研究人员，生物医学研究企业及其可持续性的分析已经确定了许多威胁，并提供了许多解决方案来缓解这些问题。尽管已实施了许多解决方案，但尽管得到了广泛推荐，但尚未得到广泛采用的一种解决方案是增加职员科学家的数量并减少对受训者的依赖。感觉到的障碍是成本。本文探讨了与实验室人员相关的成本以及与劳动力中不同职位相关的生产率方面的收益。成本效益分析的结果取决于个人和机构分配给不同生产率指标的值。如果第一作者和资深作者的出版物是生产力的最重要指标，依赖受训人员的劳动力更具成本效益。如果出版物总数是生产率最有价值的指标，那么受训人员和职员科学家的成本效益就可以合理地衡量。该分析为做出人事决定时需要考虑的数据以及对生物医学研究人员队伍的修改进行的持续讨论提供了数据。它还提供了对基层员工队伍变动的激励措施的真知灼见，真正致力于员工队伍变动以维持生物医学研究企业的机构必须考虑这些因素。该分析为制定人事决策时需要考虑的数据以及对生物医学研究人员队伍的修改进行的持续讨论提供了数据。它还提供了对基层员工队伍变动的激励措施的真知灼见，真正致力于员工队伍变动以维持生物医学研究企业的机构必须考虑这些因素。该分析为做出人事决定时需要考虑的数据以及对生物医学研究人员队伍的修改进行的持续讨论提供了数据。它还提供了对基层员工队伍变动的激励措施的真知灼见，真正致力于员工队伍变动以维持生物医学研究企业的机构必须考虑这些因素。